During the last 10 years there has been heightened interest in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is concerned with properties of materials that arise only when at least one dimension of a material is reduced to a very minute scale. At such scales quantum mechanical effects arise leading to altered properties of the materials that is distinct from that of the bulk materials.
Ceramics are known to have many favorable characteristics for demanding engineering applications. It would be desirable to mass produce continuous ceramic nanofibers so that properties of ceramic materials including those that arise at nanoscales could be exploited.
Silicon carbide in particular is a material of extreme hardness (9 on Mohs' scale on which diamond is 10) and high modulus that is mainly used as an abrasive but has also been used as a semiconductor material in electronic devices. Although silicon carbide nanofibers have been produced by Chemical Vapor Deposition, the process is slow and costly and produces fibers of limited length. It would be desirable to be able to mass produce silicon carbide nanofibers.